0:00:03 > 0:00:06I'm embarking on a railway adventure that will take me
0:00:06 > 0:00:09beyond the edge of Continental Europe.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide,
0:00:15 > 0:00:20dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign
0:00:20 > 0:00:22travel for the British tourist.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26It told travellers where to go, what to see, and how to
0:00:26 > 0:00:30navigate the thousands of miles of tracks crisscrossing the Continent.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Now, a century later,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36I am using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.
0:00:42 > 0:00:48I want to rediscover that lost Europe, that in 1913 couldn't know
0:00:48 > 0:00:52that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12My journey will take me east through the Balkans, beyond Christian Europe.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18In 1913, only intrepid travellers ventured this way.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29On this adventure, I'll be making an unusually difficult journey,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31tracing the tracks of the Orient Express,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35speeding me towards that multiethnic city known variously
0:01:35 > 0:01:41as Constantinople or Istanbul, within which Europe and Asia meet.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43At the time of my guidebook,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47the Ottoman Empire that was ruled from there was decaying -
0:01:47 > 0:01:50known as the sick man of Europe.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Bulgaria, where my journey begins, had already broken free,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58and was the cause of rivalry, mistrust
0:01:58 > 0:02:01and intrigue between the great powers of Europe.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I'll be making my way east,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12along the most exotic section of the Orient Express route.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Starting in Sofia, Bulgaria's capital,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I'll travel to the ancient city of Plovdiv,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22join a stretch of the line that's now been rebuilt at Svilengrad,
0:02:22 > 0:02:27and then cross into Turkey at Edirne.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31I'll end my journey at the gateway to Asia, Istanbul.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34'Along the way...'
0:02:34 > 0:02:35Fire!
0:02:35 > 0:02:39'..I'll get to grips with a blossoming industry...'
0:02:39 > 0:02:40Ah!
0:02:40 > 0:02:43The last petal has been defeated.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48'..learn the importance of an ancient dance to the Bulgarian psyche.'
0:02:53 > 0:02:57I've noticed that one of the techniques is to thrust a hand down
0:02:57 > 0:03:01the breeches of the other wrestler, so clearly it is no-holds barred.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06'I'll discover what Istanbul would have been like in 1913...'
0:03:06 > 0:03:07There were refugees everywhere.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Muslim refugees from the Balkans crowded every available space.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13'..and fulfil a boyish fantasy.'
0:03:13 > 0:03:18This is the route of the Orient Express, and I am driving the train.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38My journey begins in Sofia, where, in 1913,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41the reigning monarch was Tsar Ferdinand I.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43According to Bradshaw's,
0:03:43 > 0:03:48"the suzerainty of Turkey was thrown off on October 5th, 1908,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52"when the independence of Bulgaria was proclaimed."
0:03:52 > 0:03:56The dying empire was then involved in a series of bloody wars,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59with Christian nationalities in the Balkans.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04And like vultures, Britain, France, Russia, Austria, Hungary
0:04:04 > 0:04:06and Germany hovered -
0:04:06 > 0:04:10each anxious that the others should not gain more than their fair
0:04:10 > 0:04:12share of influence in the region.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Such tensions earned the region its reputation as the powderkeg of
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Europe, and indeed,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23it was events here that sparked the First World War.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28In Bulgaria, the Ottomans had been slow to build railways.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32In 1880, there were just 140 miles of track,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and by 1912, still only 1,300.
0:04:36 > 0:04:44I'm arriving at Sofia's Centralna Gara, first opened in August 1888.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Well, first impressions,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50apparently Sofia station is under major redevelopment.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54It's just a building site, really, from one end to the other.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56But it's apparent that something rather beautiful
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and rather grand is going to emerge.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07The station's interior reveals the brutalist aesthetic of the most
0:05:07 > 0:05:10recent empire to control this region -
0:05:10 > 0:05:11the Soviets.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17But Bulgaria is resilient.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19First founded in the seventh century,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23the Bulgarian state is one of the oldest on the European continent.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Maintaining its own form of Orthodox Christianity,
0:05:27 > 0:05:32despite being consumed by one empire after another over the millennia.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38Bulgaria's tumultuous history is reflected in its architecture
0:05:38 > 0:05:41and here in the Plaza Nezavisimost,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45those layers of history are exposed in a single place.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51"This city," says Bradshaw's, "is about 2,000 feet above sea.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54"Almost encompassed by ranges of the Balkans."
0:05:54 > 0:05:58And indeed, it's lovely to see mountains at the end of many streets.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02"The old squalid Turkish town has been cleared away,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05"and its place taken by a modern city."
0:06:05 > 0:06:08But Bradshaw's reminds me that this is the ancient Serdica.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11And here, close at hand, are Roman ruins.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Yet I'm surrounded here by buildings from the communist
0:06:14 > 0:06:18era of the late 20th century. And all of the ages
0:06:18 > 0:06:22of the city are presided over by the statue of St Sofia herself.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31With Bulgaria's capital named after this early martyr,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Christianity has played an important role in the country's history.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42Today, 85% of the population regard themselves as Orthodox Christians,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47and this enormous cathedral is, to me, the loveliest building in Sofia.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52The St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a relatively modern building in the
0:06:52 > 0:06:57Byzantine style, and its golden domes are today gleaming in the sunlight.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01One of the things I love is that with so little traffic and with big
0:07:01 > 0:07:04spaces all around, you can appreciate the whole building at once.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10The cathedral was largely completed by 1912 -
0:07:10 > 0:07:13just a year before my guidebook was published.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16And I'd like to learn more about the period from local guide
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Stefan Ognyanov.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- Stefan, hello. - Hello. Nice to meet you.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24I find myself very moved by the cathedral,
0:07:24 > 0:07:29which has a simplicity, a calm, but certainly a great holiness, as well.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Has the Orthodox Church played a very important part in Bulgarian history?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Yes, the Orthodox Church was basically instrumental
0:07:36 > 0:07:40in the preservation of Bulgarian culture and traditions and basically
0:07:40 > 0:07:43the identity of the people through the five centuries of Ottoman rule.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46And that sense of national identity of consciousness,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49eventually grew into a wish to be independent from the Ottoman Empire.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Exactly. There was a small seed that basically started it all
0:07:53 > 0:07:55and then it grew into a massive movement.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02The giant cathedral can hold a congregation of up to 7,000.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Its vast dome rises to 45 metres.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Whoa. This is extraordinary.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16We are so high above the main altar here,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20I'm quite nervous about dropping my Bradshaw's.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Stefan leads me up onto the roof to get a view over Sofia -
0:08:24 > 0:08:27a city that was in turmoil back in the 1870s.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Here on the cathedral roof, we get a fantastic view of the city
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and, actually, also the mountains all around.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42So, how was it that the revolution came about when it did?
0:08:42 > 0:08:46As soon as a critical mass of people realised that they
0:08:46 > 0:08:49constituted a nation, they were basically looking to
0:08:49 > 0:08:52establish their own independent Bulgarian state.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54So, in 1876, there was
0:08:54 > 0:08:57an organisation that was supposed to actually light the whole
0:08:57 > 0:09:02country on fire, so an all-out revolution everywhere.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05The reality is, it only really happened in just one
0:09:05 > 0:09:09region of the country, but still what happened in southern Bulgaria
0:09:09 > 0:09:14attracted the world's attention, because of the way it was put down.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19This April uprising was brutally suppressed by the Ottomans,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23who massacred up to 30,000 men, women and children.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28Those atrocities caused outrage in Western Europe.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31- How does Britain react to it all? - The official position of Britain,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36the British government of Disraeli, is support of the Ottoman Empire
0:09:36 > 0:09:40in order to block off the interests of Russia in the region.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43However, William Gladstone, who was leader of the Liberal party,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46which was in opposition at the time, was actually
0:09:46 > 0:09:49appalled by the atrocities and urged the British government to
0:09:49 > 0:09:55actually take some measures to help the situation of the Bulgarians.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59While Gladstone attacked Prime Minister Disraeli's imperialism,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Russia seized the chance to lash out at its old Ottoman enemy,
0:10:02 > 0:10:07and in 1877, stepped in to liberate Bulgaria,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10cementing her own influence in the region.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12In gratitude to their Russian liberators,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16the Bulgarian people erected this huge Orthodox cathedral
0:10:16 > 0:10:20and dedicated it to the Russian Tsar's patron saint,
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Alexander Nevsky.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25However, peace in the region didn't last long, as the new
0:10:25 > 0:10:32King Ferdinand led Bulgaria into two Balkan wars in 1912 and '13.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35The first Balkan War, it was the newly established Christian
0:10:35 > 0:10:40nations of Europe, like Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece, uniting to push
0:10:40 > 0:10:44the Ottoman Empire - try and push the Ottoman Empire - out of Europe.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47And then the Second Balkan War erupted
0:10:47 > 0:10:51because these newly established Christian nations were
0:10:51 > 0:10:55fighting each other for what they had achieved during the first war.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02As I head back down to ground level, I think of the great
0:11:02 > 0:11:07sacrifices that this country has made across its turbulent history.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11There is a tradition here in the cathedral that you light
0:11:11 > 0:11:17a candle - either for happiness or, here in the sand, for remembrance.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20And since I've heard about the tens of thousands of people who
0:11:20 > 0:11:25were killed in the struggle for Bulgarian independence,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27this single candle is in their memory.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43While Russia has this splendid cathedral
0:11:43 > 0:11:46built in gratitude for her assistance,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49it's good to see that the Victorian statesman William Gladstone
0:11:49 > 0:11:53has a small corner of Sofia dedicated to his memory.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04I'm back at Sofia Central Station to make my way east towards
0:12:04 > 0:12:06the heart of the old Ottoman Empire.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15This, the historic route of the Orient Express, will take me
0:12:15 > 0:12:18to Bulgaria's second city, Plovdiv -
0:12:18 > 0:12:21referred to in my guidebook as Philippopolis.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Are you travelling to Plovdiv?
0:12:28 > 0:12:32- Yes, I am travelling to Plovdiv. - I am, too. My name's Michael.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- My name is Emil. Nice to meet you.- Good to see you.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39I bought some food that they told me was typical Bulgarian.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41I don't like to eat alone. Would you like to share some of this?
0:12:41 > 0:12:43OK, no problem.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46They... Boza. They told me this was typically Bulgarian.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- What is this?- Yes, it's a national Bulgarian drink.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52It is made from fermented wheat.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Mm. Thick and gloopy.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Wow, it's kind of like a...
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Ooh.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03- It does smell of fermented wheat, doesn't it?- Yes.- Incredibly powerful.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10- A bit like a medicine. - Bulgarians like it.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Mm. Good, good for Bulgarians. Good.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18'This salty yoghurt drink looks as though it might be more suited
0:13:18 > 0:13:20'to my British taste buds.'
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Oh, that's great. That's so refreshing.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Now, what's this thing in here?
0:13:27 > 0:13:33This is a banitsa. People often eat it for breakfast.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Excuse fingers.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39'Banitsa is a traditional filo pastry that can be savoury...'
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Quite tough going.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43'..or sweet.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:45So, which of these things has been your favourite?
0:13:45 > 0:13:50My favourite thing right now is this type of sweet banitsa.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51I like that.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55But for me, my favourite is the salty yoghurt.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I've travelled 90 miles south-east from Sofia.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16But as I'm arriving in Plovdiv at dusk,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19I'll wait till morning to explore Bulgaria's second city.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Plovdiv, Bradshaw's tells me, was the Roman Trimontium,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46referring to the three mountains on which the city is built.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51"It was the capital of Thrace. It has Greek and Bulgarian cathedrals
0:14:51 > 0:14:53"and several mosques.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57"It's a bright and cheerful place, with lofty houses.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02"So many influences - Greek, Thracian, Roman, Ottoman."
0:15:02 > 0:15:07And yet, somehow, something emerged that's absolutely Bulgarian.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Plovdiv is thought to be one of the oldest settlements in Europe.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Its ancient pedigree would have greatly appealed
0:15:23 > 0:15:25to the early 20th-century tourist.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32As the Bulgarian middle classes grew wealthier during the 19th century,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35they developed their own cultural identity,
0:15:35 > 0:15:40clearly expressed in this elaborately decorated domestic architecture
0:15:40 > 0:15:42known as National Revival.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46As I walk through these roughly paved streets,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I feel as though I'm treading on the stones of history.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52And these houses, though very charming,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55are also grand and proud.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Plovdiv is a place that grew used, during its history,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00to being important.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04And one of the things I most appreciate about this place
0:16:04 > 0:16:08is that I'm enjoying and absorbing all this history virtually alone.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13And yet I see there are one or two of my fellow countrymen
0:16:13 > 0:16:15who've found their way here.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- How are you enjoying Plovdiv? - Incredible. Incredible.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21- Really? What do you think of it? - All the history...
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- Plovdiv goes back 8,000 years. - What brought you to Plovdiv?
0:16:25 > 0:16:29- We work with someone from Plovdiv.- Ah.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30- This gentleman here.- Oh, really?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Yeah.- You've brought all your English mates over?
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- Yeah, pretty much. - Oh, that's fantastic.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38- And you're obviously very proud of your town.- Yeah.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- And are they reacting well to it? - So far, so far.- Yeah?
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- That's a pretty good advertisement for the town.- It's the best.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Thank you, guys. Enjoyed it. Bye-bye now.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50There's a place I've been told that I must visit
0:16:50 > 0:16:52in this magnificent city,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55which isn't mentioned in Bradshaw's, with good reason.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57MUSIC PLAYS, SINGING
0:17:07 > 0:17:10It's wonderful to see a dance going on here.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14But first of all, this theatre is incredible.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16It is so well preserved.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21And I understand it was only uncovered in the 1970s
0:17:21 > 0:17:22because of a landslide.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24And it's just perfection.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30Dating back to the Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century AD,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32this Roman theatre is the perfect spot
0:17:32 > 0:17:37to witness a traditional dance that's 1,300 years old.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It's really a very beautiful dance. And the costumes are superb.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07HE CLAPS Bravo.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09- That was fantastic. - Thank you very much.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12What is that dance called?
0:18:12 > 0:18:14This is the Thracian dance.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- As it were, from Thrace, as we would say it.- From Thrace, yes.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19And how important is this kind of dancing to Bulgarians,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21to Bulgarian culture?
0:18:21 > 0:18:23The dances are very important.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25They are part of our national psychology.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Passed down from generation to generation,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32the dance has always been a part of the life of Bulgarians
0:18:32 > 0:18:35for all its historical development.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Well, I think I would find it impossible.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Let me show you some movements.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41MICHAEL LAUGHS OK.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Thank you. Let me just get this lovely costume on.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52How do I look? Not quite as beautiful as you. Look at that.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- OK.- So, the dance is called Rachenitsa.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- Yeah.- And it's one, two, three.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00One, two, three.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06- Let's start with the right leg.- OK. - So, one, two, three.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08One, two, three.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11- BOTH:- One, two, three.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- Go. - BOTH:- Right, left, right.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14HE GASPS
0:19:14 > 0:19:16If this is part of the national identity,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20I hope that my clumsy footwork doesn't cause a diplomatic incident.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- Now let's do it faster.- OK.- OK.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25One, two, three.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27One, two, three.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28One, two, three.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29One, two, three.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31OK, you are ready to get the part of the dance.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35- Let me show you your position. - OK, thank you, thank you. Hello.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- You are here.- I'm here, am I?
0:19:39 > 0:19:43- OK. Hello.- We are ready to go.- Right.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45THEY SHOUT
0:19:45 > 0:19:46MUSIC PLAYS
0:19:46 > 0:19:49SINGING
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The Thracian dance I'm attempting
0:20:18 > 0:20:22is treasured for keeping the Bulgarian spirit alive
0:20:22 > 0:20:25over five centuries of Ottoman rule.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32And when that ended in 1878,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37young and old danced hand-in-hand in celebration.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26On my train journeys,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I don't often get the chance to escape from the town or the city.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32And in Bulgaria, you have these enormous open spaces
0:21:32 > 0:21:36and the mountains are ever present.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39In this region, in Rumelia, Bradshaw's tells me,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44"The rose farms, where is produced the otto or attar of roses,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46"cover a great extent of the country.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51"The natural conditions in Bulgaria are perfect, heaven-sent."
0:21:53 > 0:21:57This industry dates back over 300 years.
0:21:57 > 0:22:03And today, Bulgaria produces around 70% of the world's rose oil.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08Marina Lavrenova is showing me around a farm that's over a century old.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Marina, this is a beautiful place.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Why is it that you're able to grow such great roses here?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18We are at the heart of the Rose Valley.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20This is a blessed area.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22And we have the perfect weather conditions
0:22:22 > 0:22:25to grow the oil-bearing rose here.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- Dobar den. WOMEN:- Dobar den.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33So, how do you pick the rose? Which part are you picking?
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Exactly this part.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38So, she just kind of bends the rose back.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Yes.- Thank you.- Yes.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48And the company that owns this plantation here, when did that begin?
0:22:48 > 0:22:52The company was established in 1909.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56And in 1947, it was nationalised.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- During the communist... - During the communist period.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04- And now?- In 1992, the company was returned to the local owners.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And now it's run by the family of Enio Bonchev.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13And so after all those years of communism,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15the family took it back again?
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- Yes.- Fantastic story.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Once picked, the roses must be distilled immediately
0:23:24 > 0:23:27to extract the scented oil in the flower,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29so I'm following the process inside.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33I see here all the rose petals are ready for the distillery.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Extraordinarily heady smell
0:23:37 > 0:23:41of what I suppose must be hundreds of thousands of rose petals.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45We are in the oldest, but still working distillery in Europe.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47This place is actually unique,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51because all the stills, all the containers are made of copper,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55because it makes the aroma of the water stronger.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58How old are these copper stills?
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Since 1909.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03- Yeah.- Just before my guidebook.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It looks like the guys are preparing for a distillation, is that right?
0:24:06 > 0:24:07Exactly.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Around 180 roses are poured into each copper
0:24:14 > 0:24:18and mixed with five times their weight in water.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21This mixture is then boiled over an open flame
0:24:21 > 0:24:23and the steam fed into a cooling chamber
0:24:23 > 0:24:26where the first rose-water distillate is collected.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30So, we're standing now above the stills
0:24:30 > 0:24:34- and we can feel the tremendous heat that's coming out of them.- Yes.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Let me see if I can catch one of these bags.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39Whoa!
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Empty the petals into the still.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Ready for the next bag. Whoa!
0:24:49 > 0:24:51He's a very good thrower, this guy. He's a very good thrower.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55'And with each bag weighing 15 kilos, that's no mean feat.'
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Fire.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- Michael, you're doing really well. - Thank you.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03I must say, it's very physical.
0:25:05 > 0:25:06Ah!
0:25:07 > 0:25:10The last petal has been defeated.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14- That was hard work.- Great job. - Thank you very much, Marina.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18'A second distillation of the rose-water
0:25:18 > 0:25:20'increases the concentration.'
0:25:20 > 0:25:23How long does it take from the petals
0:25:23 > 0:25:27all the way through to the end of the second distillation process?
0:25:27 > 0:25:28Um...
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The whole process? It's about two hours and 30 minutes.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33- Is that all?- Yes.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35And what product does that give you?
0:25:35 > 0:25:39It gives us the rose-water.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Rose-water is a cosmetic product
0:25:41 > 0:25:45that's said to be excellent for the complexion.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47It's sometimes also used in cooking.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51But it's rose oil that is most highly prized.
0:25:51 > 0:25:57Three-and-a-half tonnes of flowers will produce just one litre of oil.
0:25:57 > 0:26:04The company's finest rose alba oil sells for over £7,000 per kilo.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Welcome to our small museum.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- A delightful room.- Thank you.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14And these are very, very beautiful things. What are these?
0:26:14 > 0:26:19This is a traditional wooden box. In Bulgarian, it's called muskal.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21- Muskal.- Muskal.- Muskal.- Yes.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25It's handmade and this one is 60 years old.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Beautiful little miniature painting.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30And you can find the rose oil inside.
0:26:33 > 0:26:39- Here, we have 0.5 millilitres of rose oil.- So, unscrew the top.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45- What, you just put a little drop on, like that?- Yes, put just a drop.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Wow.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50That is intense, isn't it?
0:26:50 > 0:26:54- It's amazing. I love it. - Mm. Smell of roses all day.- Yeah.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57- Now, what's that one there? - This is our rose-water.- A-ha.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02I can spray some of it on your face, on your hair, so...
0:27:02 > 0:27:04- Take aim, take aim.- OK.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08And the other side.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- I will put some on your hair.- OK.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17I feel completely refreshed.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31This morning, I'm back at Plovdiv station to continue my journey east
0:27:31 > 0:27:34along the historic route of the Orient Express.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Dobar den.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41HE SPEAKS IN BULGARIAN
0:27:44 > 0:27:45Blagodarya.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Rush hour in Plovdiv.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03I'm continuing my journey towards Istanbul, Constantinople.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Unfortunately, today, there are no through train services
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and it seems that things weren't very different
0:28:09 > 0:28:10at the time of my guidebook.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12"Since the outbreak of hostilities..."
0:28:12 > 0:28:15That would be a reference to the Second Balkan War.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18"..the train service has been suspended."
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Today, it's for a happier reason.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23The European Union has designated a railway network
0:28:23 > 0:28:28running from Dresden and Strasbourg in the west to Istanbul in the east.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30And the section that I'm about to come to
0:28:30 > 0:28:32is being massively rebuilt
0:28:32 > 0:28:36so that the spirit of the Orient Express can rise again.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44As there are no public services through to my next destination,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47I'm leaving this train at Parvomay to meet Richard Kerr,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49the British civil engineer
0:28:49 > 0:28:52who's supervising the rebuilding of this historic railway.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57- Hello, Richard.- Hello, Michael. Nice to meet you.- Very good to see you.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00I'm sorry to lower your visibility, but...!
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- Not as bright as mine.- Not quite. - Right.- Please, welcome aboard.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Thank you very much.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18I think this is the smartest wagon I've seen on rails for a long time.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20- What is it?- Well, it's a works train.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25It's a specialist train that they use to monitor and oversee
0:29:25 > 0:29:28the electrical feeding system above the railway.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31'The line will also be straightened,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35'allowing trains to run at up to 100mph.'
0:29:35 > 0:29:38So, this section really tells the whole story.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Here we are moving on an old track, which is very, very bumpy,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44overgrown in places, foliage on either side.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47And yet we can also see, to the sides, the new construction site,
0:29:47 > 0:29:51the dust, the lorries, the trucks, the earth-moving equipment.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53It's all happening.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Yes, obviously, 100 years ago, the engineers were not able
0:29:56 > 0:29:59to form their way through the hillsides
0:29:59 > 0:30:01in the way that they do now.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06So, now, we've come off the old line. The bumping has stopped.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08This is obviously new track.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11We're passing a station that's under construction.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Absolutely. I'm glad you noticed the difference.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16Now we're on the new line,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19we can speed up to 160km per hour
0:30:19 > 0:30:23and take ourselves off down to the borders of the European Union.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Bulgaria became a member of the EU in 2007,
0:30:28 > 0:30:33and this railway line is part of the new European high-speed rail network.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38This 150km stretch between Parvomay and Svilengrad
0:30:38 > 0:30:41is costing £300 million to build.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46What's been the most challenging single thing that you've had to do on this route?
0:30:46 > 0:30:49One of the most significant technical challenges that we've had
0:30:49 > 0:30:51is a substantial 400-metre bridge
0:30:51 > 0:30:54that we're building across the River Maritsa,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56which is prone to flooding, actually,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59and has caused us some difficulties along the works.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01It's quite a substantial structure.
0:31:01 > 0:31:02It's a concrete arch bridge
0:31:02 > 0:31:07and we've had to actually divert the river to allow us to construct it.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Wow, that does sound very complex.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16As I near the end of my exclusive preview of this exciting new project,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18I get to live the dream.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23This is the route of the Orient Express, and I am driving the train.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29And nobody's told me, but I think this is the accelerator.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Anyone know where the brake is?
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Here in the driving seat, you get a complete appreciation
0:31:36 > 0:31:39of the difference that the new track makes.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41It's wonderfully smooth
0:31:41 > 0:31:45and I can see now all the posts have gone in along the side of the line.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47This is where the wires will hang.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52And shortly, the route of the Orient Express will be fast and electrified.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01My engineering train has taken me as far as Svilengrad,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03just short of the Turkish border.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13From here, I have no choice but to hit the road.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23I'm now approaching the Turkish border, to my chagrin,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26in a car, not a train.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Bradshaw's is not encouraging.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33"Customs examinations are extremely vexatious and unreasonable,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36"books being liable to seizure and to being destroyed.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39"Passport and luggage are examined.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43"It's advisable to put guidebooks and maps in one's pocket
0:32:43 > 0:32:45"to avoid confiscation."
0:32:45 > 0:32:48But what pocket is big enough for a Bradshaw's?
0:32:50 > 0:32:54The border had only just been settled here in July 1913,
0:32:54 > 0:32:58following fierce fighting during the two Balkan Wars.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05So, travelling into Turkey a century ago,
0:33:05 > 0:33:07I might have been crossing a warzone.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13Today, my passage into Turkey's toehold in Europe
0:33:13 > 0:33:15goes without a hitch.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26When I left Bulgaria, I not only quit the European Union,
0:33:26 > 0:33:28but also Christendom.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31The boundary between Christian and Muslim domains
0:33:31 > 0:33:34has been hotly disputed over many centuries.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38At one time, it stood close to the French town of Tours.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42At another time, it was just outside Vienna.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45And for the last century, it's run just close by here,
0:33:45 > 0:33:47just outside Edirne.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56This city was the empire's capital
0:33:56 > 0:34:01before the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06Thereafter, it remained an important Ottoman centre.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11So much so that Sultan Selim II commissioned his finest architect
0:34:11 > 0:34:15to build the monumental Selimiye Mosque at its highest point.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26Sultan Selim's fine mosque, according to Bradshaw's, has a lofty dome,
0:34:26 > 0:34:30four minarets, many marble courts, colonnades
0:34:30 > 0:34:34and 999 windows.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38It is the work of Mimar Sinan, and "Mimar" means "architect",
0:34:38 > 0:34:42and he was simply the greatest of the Ottoman period.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46This predates St Peter's Cathedral in Rome, and the Taj Mahal,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49but in common with those two great buildings,
0:34:49 > 0:34:53it seems to me that it wears its bulk very lightly.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57It's as though the four minarets are somehow carrying it towards heaven.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07Mimar Sinan was responsible for over 300 major buildings.
0:35:07 > 0:35:13And this glorious mosque, completed in 1575, is his masterpiece
0:35:13 > 0:35:17and considered one of the greatest buildings in the Islamic world.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20A source of particular pride was the dome,
0:35:20 > 0:35:24just a little larger than that of the famous Hagia Sophia,
0:35:24 > 0:35:28built by Christians 1,000 years earlier in Constantinople.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30When you enter the mosque,
0:35:30 > 0:35:34the first thing that strikes you is its simplicity.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Because the dome is so immense,
0:35:36 > 0:35:40almost the whole space for worship can lie beneath it.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43There's no need for further complexity.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46And then you're struck by the colours -
0:35:46 > 0:35:49the blues, the reds, the greens.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53It's as though a tapestry has been spread above you, like a canopy.
0:36:24 > 0:36:25I really do feel as though
0:36:25 > 0:36:28I've stepped over a threshold into the Orient,
0:36:28 > 0:36:33not only because of the architecture, but also because of the traditions.
0:36:33 > 0:36:34This part of Turkey
0:36:34 > 0:36:38maintains a practice dating back over 3,000 years
0:36:38 > 0:36:41and I've been invited to this stadium to witness it.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49An oil wrestling tournament has been held annually in this area
0:36:49 > 0:36:52since 1346,
0:36:52 > 0:36:56making it the longest running sports competition in the world.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01The wrestlers are covered in this stuff, which is olive oil,
0:37:01 > 0:37:03and that makes it very difficult
0:37:03 > 0:37:05for either one to get a grip on the other.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10Now, they're wearing leather pants, and I can see that
0:37:10 > 0:37:13they're trying to put their hands inside the other's trousers.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17So, I think anything goes. Any hold at all is allowed.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20But, apparently, at the end of it all,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22there are marks given for gentlemanly conduct.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29During the early days of the Ottoman Empire,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32the military commander Suleiman Pasha
0:37:32 > 0:37:35would let his soldiers unwind by wrestling.
0:37:35 > 0:37:36On one memorable occasion,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39the two top fighters grappled past midnight
0:37:39 > 0:37:42until both died of exhaustion.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46Ouch.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50I wonder what straight-laced Edwardian tourists
0:37:50 > 0:37:52would have made of this.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55- Ah!- Oh!
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- Hello.- Do you speak English? - Yes. A little.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Well, thank you. I've rarely seen such an extraordinary spectacle.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03- Thank you very much. - Congratulations.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Were you a kid when you started this?
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- Ten years.- Yeah?- Ten years.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12- Are you very exhausted?- Yes.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14Thank you very much. Bye.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19It's clear that I've tumbled into another world.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22And after watching such exertions,
0:38:22 > 0:38:26I'm ready to slide into my bed for my first night's sleep in Turkey.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37This morning, I treat myself to a traditional Turkish shave.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40Wow!
0:38:40 > 0:38:42That feels really good.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47And now that I'm fit for first class, I've come two miles out of town
0:38:47 > 0:38:52in search of the historic route of the Orient Express.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54I found this beautiful old station
0:38:54 > 0:38:56where I'm meeting historian Soner Tursun.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59- Hello, Soner.- Hello. - Very good to see you.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01My guidebook tells me
0:39:01 > 0:39:04that the station is some distance from the town, and so it is.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Why was it built here?
0:39:06 > 0:39:10Well, actually, the company had no interest
0:39:10 > 0:39:13in building the station closer to the city,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16because it had to cross the Maritsa River
0:39:16 > 0:39:21and, of course, the company was paid by the kilometre they build,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25so it was not good for them to take the shortest route.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27That's extraordinary.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32Now, who was it who built the line we know as the Orient Express?
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Well, actually, it was such a big project
0:39:35 > 0:39:39that no single person was totally responsible for it.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44The Ottoman Empire had no money, so it granted concessions.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49The first person was Baron von Hirsch.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Von Hirsch set up a consortium and construction began in 1870.
0:39:54 > 0:40:00When did an Orient Express first pass through this lovely Edirne station?
0:40:00 > 0:40:04What we call the Orient Express, starting from Paris,
0:40:04 > 0:40:08ending in Istanbul, crossed the line in 1883.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14The Orient Express had a reputation for luxury.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18Until it gained a reputation for murder.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20One of the people who made the Orient Express so famous
0:40:20 > 0:40:23was, of course, Agatha Christie,
0:40:23 > 0:40:25with her novel Murder On The Orient Express.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27What was her experience of the line, then?
0:40:27 > 0:40:30It was an unlucky travel,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34because the train got stuck because of a snow slide.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37The train had to wait for a long time
0:40:37 > 0:40:41and probably she was inspired because of this event.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Because in this story,
0:40:43 > 0:40:47the Orient Express gets stuck because of a snow slide
0:40:47 > 0:40:52and in the morning, they see one of the passengers was killed
0:40:52 > 0:40:54and everyone becomes the suspect.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58If only I could make such a fortune out of every train delay.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03This beautiful old station is now out of commission
0:41:03 > 0:41:07and houses the Fine Arts faculty of the University of Trakya.
0:41:11 > 0:41:16In its heyday, the railway carried countesses and millionaires,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19presidents and crooks,
0:41:19 > 0:41:22all speeding their way to my final destination.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26For the last leg of my journey,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29I'm picking up the train to the centre of a city
0:41:29 > 0:41:32known in my Bradshaw's as Constantinople,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36and renamed Istanbul in 1930.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43A short stroll from my stop, I find the old Sirkeci station,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46the grand terminus of the Orient Express,
0:41:46 > 0:41:51which ran from Paris for almost a century, until 1977.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54"The principal railway station,
0:41:54 > 0:41:58"the terminus of the Oriental Railway Company,"
0:41:58 > 0:42:01says Bradshaw's, "is the arrival and departure station
0:42:01 > 0:42:05"for all trains connecting with the rest of Europe."
0:42:05 > 0:42:07I know it's semi-deserted today.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09I imagine the excitement of travellers
0:42:09 > 0:42:12arriving from points all over the continent,
0:42:12 > 0:42:16the commotion as they descended from the train with their trunks
0:42:16 > 0:42:19and their hatboxes and their servants.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23The noise of the impact of West upon East.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36Istanbul is built, like Rome, on seven hills.
0:42:38 > 0:42:43This is a city as treasured and fought over as Jerusalem,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46as important a city of empire as Rome.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50It's one of the greats in the long history of the Old World.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57I've come to admire the most famous building in this historic city,
0:42:57 > 0:43:01which began life as a Christian cathedral.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03When I first saw the Hagia Sophia,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07it took me a while to work out what this building was
0:43:07 > 0:43:11because, of course, it looks like a mosque, but it was built by a Roman.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13It was built by the Emperor Justinian.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17And, to me, it's just extraordinary that such an immense building
0:43:17 > 0:43:20could have been created 1,500 years ago.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26- Hello. Do you speak English?- Yeah.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30- Are you enjoying your visit to Istanbul?- Yeah, definitely.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- What have you enjoyed so far most? - The Hagia Sophia.
0:43:33 > 0:43:39I think it's really beautiful to see how the Islamic and the Christian...
0:43:41 > 0:43:43..art converges together.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47Especially in times of war and stuff like that.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Do you feel while you're in Istanbul
0:43:49 > 0:43:52- that you're in this meeting place of East and West...- Yeah.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55- ..of Islam and Christianity? - Yeah, definitely.
0:43:55 > 0:44:01And I think the church really shows, in one building, the whole city.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17There's an extraordinary buzz about the streets of Istanbul.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21The shops and the cafes tumble into the street.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25The restaurant owners invite you into their premises.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27The merchandise is exotic.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31OK, it's touristy, but it is undeniably different.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33You have made the journey.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39Hello.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41Cheese, potato, apple pie. Turkish borek.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44- Apple pie. Apple pie.- Apple pie.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48- How much is that?- Three dinar. Four dinar, three dinar.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52- There we go. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you.- Bye-bye.- Bye-bye.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57- Hello, good day.- Mm.- Yes, please.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01It's good. It's good.
0:45:16 > 0:45:17The Grand Bazaar
0:45:17 > 0:45:21is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world,
0:45:21 > 0:45:25built shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33What I find so stunning about the bazaar
0:45:33 > 0:45:37is the assault on the eyes of colour.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40Everything is so bright, all the goods, all the ceramics,
0:45:40 > 0:45:42all the scarves, all the carpets.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44Even the painting on the arches.
0:45:49 > 0:45:50Just like that.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55Leaving the hectic buzz of the Old City behind,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58I'm making my way down to the banks of the Bosporus,
0:45:58 > 0:46:03the narrow channel which links the Black Sea with the Mediterranean.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07- Hello, Caroline.- Hello, good to see you.- Very good to see you.
0:46:07 > 0:46:12Here, I wanted to discover more about Istanbul in the early 20th century
0:46:12 > 0:46:14from historian Caroline Finkel.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19Caroline, we can see the Suleymaniye Mosque and the Topkapi Palace.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21I suppose these buildings really represent
0:46:21 > 0:46:24the Ottoman Empire at the height of its powers.
0:46:24 > 0:46:25That's very much the case.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27They're built, as you can see,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30on the spine of the hill in a very dominating position.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33Everyone who approached by sea would see them immediately,
0:46:33 > 0:46:35standing there on the promontory,
0:46:35 > 0:46:38and it must have been quite a sight when you came to the city.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41'The Topkapi Palace was the first seat of government
0:46:41 > 0:46:43'for the Ottoman sultans,
0:46:43 > 0:46:45'who held absolute power across the empire.
0:46:46 > 0:46:52'Next to it, the Suleymaniye Mosque was completed in 1557,
0:46:52 > 0:46:53'when the empire controlled
0:46:53 > 0:46:56'most of the eastern and southern Mediterranean.'
0:46:56 > 0:47:01And if the traveller had come here in either the 16th or the 17th century,
0:47:01 > 0:47:05what impression would he have had of Constantinople?
0:47:05 > 0:47:07You can read travellers' accounts.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10They all are pretty much overwhelmed by the place.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13They might have seen, during Suleiman's reign...
0:47:13 > 0:47:17Suleiman was given to appearing at parades and displays,
0:47:17 > 0:47:20so the ones who were lucky enough to be there
0:47:20 > 0:47:23would have seen that side of Ottoman power as well,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25the very splendid and dramatic
0:47:25 > 0:47:27and gilded sight of Ottoman power in the city.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31By the early 20th century,
0:47:31 > 0:47:35that impression would have been rather different.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37The 1913 traveller, using my guidebook,
0:47:37 > 0:47:39what would he have found in Constantinople?
0:47:39 > 0:47:41It seems to me rather surprising
0:47:41 > 0:47:43that people were being encouraged to come.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47I don't think the FCO today would recommend that people came in 1913.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50It was a terrible year. The city was in turmoil.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53It was just, of course, before the First World War,
0:47:53 > 0:47:55but the First World War was merely a culmination
0:47:55 > 0:47:58of everything that went before.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01The empire had shrunk dramatically,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04losing provinces that had been Ottoman for five centuries
0:48:04 > 0:48:09in a matter of weeks during the First Balkan War of 1912.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13There were refugees everywhere.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16Muslim refugees from the Balkans crowded every available space.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Hundreds of thousands of refugees with nothing.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23While the empire's borders contracted,
0:48:23 > 0:48:25pressure for reform built inside Turkey
0:48:25 > 0:48:29from a revolutionary group known as the Young Turks.
0:48:29 > 0:48:34And the great powers circled like vultures over the Bosporus.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36The greatest threat came from the Russians,
0:48:36 > 0:48:40who were trying to come down and take warm water harbours.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43They only had the cold waters of the north, frozen much of the year,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46and this was the cause of much of the wars
0:48:46 > 0:48:48between the Ottomans and the Russians.
0:48:48 > 0:48:53As the Ottomans had grown weaker, they'd sought an ally in the West
0:48:53 > 0:48:57and had aligned themselves with the newest state in Europe, Germany.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01The Germans did not have a record of having tutored the Ottomans,
0:49:01 > 0:49:04for better or for worse, throughout the long centuries.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09They had industry, technology to sell, military reforms, railways,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12and it was a very happy alliance between the two.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18The Ottomans' defeat in the First World War
0:49:18 > 0:49:23gave rise to the nationalist movement which was to remove the sultans
0:49:23 > 0:49:26and lead to the foundation of the modern state of Turkey.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42I've stayed overnight in this opulent hotel
0:49:42 > 0:49:44which, at the time of my guidebook,
0:49:44 > 0:49:48was the property of the International Sleeping Car Company
0:49:48 > 0:49:50which ran the trains of the Orient Express.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Ah, the elegance of centuries gone by.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02Agatha Christie was a regular guest and legend has it
0:50:02 > 0:50:06that here, she wrote Murder On The Orient Express.
0:50:10 > 0:50:11Good morning.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Having relished the heights of Edwardian luxury,
0:50:15 > 0:50:19there's one more treat I have to delight in while I'm here.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26- Hello, Hande.- Oh, hello.- Good morning, I'm Michael.- Good morning.
0:50:26 > 0:50:31- Nice to meet you.- What a delightful shop.- Thank you.- How old is it?
0:50:31 > 0:50:36It's 238 years old exactly. It was opened 1777.
0:50:36 > 0:50:41'Hande's ancestor, Haci Bekir, moved to Istanbul from Anatolia
0:50:41 > 0:50:43'and set up this shop.
0:50:43 > 0:50:48'His excellent sweetmeats came to the attention of Sultan Mahmud II,
0:50:48 > 0:50:51'who appointed him Chief Confectioner to the Palace.
0:50:51 > 0:50:56'Today, Hande Celalyan is the fifth generation of the family
0:50:56 > 0:50:58'to run the shop.'
0:50:58 > 0:51:01And when can we call these confections Turkish delight?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04This is when an English traveller
0:51:04 > 0:51:06bought some Turkish delight from Istanbul
0:51:06 > 0:51:08and brought it to England.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11At that time, it was called rahat-ul hulkum.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14- What was that word?- Rahat-ul hulkum.
0:51:14 > 0:51:15Rahat-ul hulkum.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19And then it was rahat lokum, and lokum simply for us, too.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23- Oh, lokum is easier.- That was the development of the word in Turkish.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Lokum. I can manage that, actually.
0:51:25 > 0:51:31Haci Bekir was a man on a mission to create the perfect Turkish sweet.
0:51:31 > 0:51:36His greatest innovation came with the discovery of starch in 1811.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39He was the first one to use starch instead of flour.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44And this is...that we achieved the elastic texture now,
0:51:44 > 0:51:46the elastic magical cubes today.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50'Hande is constantly developing new varieties
0:51:50 > 0:51:54'using a vast array of tantalising ingredients.'
0:51:54 > 0:51:59This is Turkish delight with walnuts. So, as you see...
0:51:59 > 0:52:01they are produced in rolls.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04- Like sausages. - Like sausages, yes, indeed.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08- And then they are cut here by hand freshly in the shop.- Fantastic.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10What would you say to someone like me
0:52:10 > 0:52:13who finds Turkish delight a little too sweet?
0:52:13 > 0:52:15You should try something with nuts,
0:52:15 > 0:52:18because the nuts are cutting the sweetness.
0:52:19 > 0:52:20Tell me your impression.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26Well, I think you're right. It's not too sweet.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28It has a lovely elasticity. Yeah, I like that.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31You should feel the resistance
0:52:31 > 0:52:35but your teeth should be able to bite cleanly through the product.
0:52:35 > 0:52:36Well, I think I had that experience,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39but I think I might need another to be sure.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41SHE CHUCKLES
0:52:47 > 0:52:49For my final delight here in Istanbul,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52I'm heading back to Sirkeci Metro station
0:52:52 > 0:52:55to cross one of the most fought-over sea channels in the world.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01Bradshaw's tells me you can take a rowboat from the European side
0:53:01 > 0:53:06across the Bosporus to the Asian side in 15 minutes.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10But since 2013, this brand-new railway has existed, the Marmaray,
0:53:10 > 0:53:14and that goes deep in the tunnel from the Asian side to the European side,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17and then that's going to connect to railways
0:53:17 > 0:53:19that go all the way out to the suburbs.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21And, of course, it will connect to railways
0:53:21 > 0:53:24going all the way out to the suburbs on the Asian side, too.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29Plans for a rail tunnel under the Bosporus
0:53:29 > 0:53:34were first mooted during the reign of Sultan Abdulmecid in 1860.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36But they've only just been realised.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42This tunnel, 60 metres underground,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45was particularly problematic to engineers
0:53:45 > 0:53:48as it crosses a tectonic faultline on its route to Asia.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53Amazing to think that we're now under the Bosporus.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56If I could tunnel through the roof of this train and keep going,
0:53:56 > 0:54:00I'd arrive in one of the most famous stretches of water in the world.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Quiz question - when do you change continent without changing city?
0:54:09 > 0:54:11Answer - in Istanbul.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13Welcome to Asia.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24Now on the Asian shore, I'm drawn to the famous Haidar Pasha station,
0:54:24 > 0:54:28from where trains used to depart for Izmit and Ankara.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32It was completed in 1909 by the Ottoman Anatolian Railway Company
0:54:32 > 0:54:36after being chosen as the Asian terminus
0:54:36 > 0:54:39for the ambitious German Berlin to Baghdad railway.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43It seems that the new Marmaray line
0:54:43 > 0:54:46has made this historic station redundant, too,
0:54:46 > 0:54:50though I see it's still used for art installations.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53While here, I can't help but become nostalgic
0:54:53 > 0:54:58about those intrepid Edwardian travellers inbound from Asia Minor.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00It's a bit like arriving in Venice by train.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03You would go down these steps to your steamboat,
0:55:03 > 0:55:07which would be waiting, possibly to take you across the Bosporus.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Maybe you'd want a couple of nights in the Pera Palace Hotel,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13just time to get your white linen suit pressed,
0:55:13 > 0:55:15before heading on into Europe.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Haidar Pasha Terminus marked the end of many a journey.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24But I'm amazed to discover tucked behind the now derelict station
0:55:24 > 0:55:30the final resting place for thousands of British soldiers and expatriates.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33Historian Lynelle Howson is showing me around.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Lynelle, Bradshaw's says that,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39"In the beautiful British cemetery of Haidar Pasha
0:55:39 > 0:55:42"are buried thousands who died of sickness or wounds
0:55:42 > 0:55:43"during the Crimean War."
0:55:43 > 0:55:46This is truly a very historic place.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49And is Bradshaw's right about thousands lying here?
0:55:49 > 0:55:53Yes. Most of the Crimean servicemen buried here are in mass graves.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56I've heard anything from 6,000 to 8,000
0:55:56 > 0:55:59buried right here in the cemetery, in Haidar Pasha.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02Do you get the impression that in the 19th century,
0:56:02 > 0:56:04this was a place of some homage, of pilgrimage?
0:56:04 > 0:56:07I certainly do, not least because Bradshaw mentions it.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10He points it out as somewhere that people might be interested to come
0:56:10 > 0:56:13specifically because of the Crimean War
0:56:13 > 0:56:17and the fame of Florence Nightingale and the nearby hospital.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19'Shortly after my guidebook was published,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22'thousands more would die during the First World War,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25'not far away at Gallipoli.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28'And some of those casualties were brought here, too.'
0:56:28 > 0:56:319th Battalion Australian infantry.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34A soldier of the Indian Army.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36South Wales.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38How many nationalities are represented here?
0:56:38 > 0:56:41Well, if we consider modern nationalities,
0:56:41 > 0:56:43we'll have more than 20, I would say.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51Here at the crossroads of Europe and Asia,
0:56:51 > 0:56:56it's poignant to reflect on the price of conflicts past and present.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05In 1913, the intrepid Bradshaw traveller
0:57:05 > 0:57:10would hope to journey to Constantinople on the Orient Express,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13passing through the newly independent Bulgaria.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16But warzones would interrupt his progress
0:57:16 > 0:57:20as the Ottoman Empire disintegrated.
0:57:20 > 0:57:25The Balkans were the tinderbox that would ignite the First World War.
0:57:25 > 0:57:26And two years later,
0:57:26 > 0:57:30Turkish cemeteries would fill with British Empire dead.
0:57:30 > 0:57:35Today, trains pass from Europe to Asia under the Bosporus.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38Turkey is a democratic nation
0:57:38 > 0:57:44with a majority Muslim population that borders Iran, Iraq and Syria.
0:57:44 > 0:57:46Just like 100 years ago,
0:57:46 > 0:57:51it is an important square on the international strategic chessboard.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59Next time, I'll learn how the Habsburg Empire,
0:57:59 > 0:58:03when faced with the future, fought to hold on to its past.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06Not everybody likes it when a new world begins.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09A new world beginning means an old world ends.
0:58:09 > 0:58:12I'll attempt an Edwardian-style winter sports challenge.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15Yay!
0:58:15 > 0:58:17You will hang like this.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19I wondered how I would hang.
0:58:22 > 0:58:23And I'll travel along
0:58:23 > 0:58:28one of the world's most impressive feats of railway engineering.
0:58:28 > 0:58:30There weren't tunnel-drilling machines,
0:58:30 > 0:58:32so they had to drill the holes by hand.
0:58:32 > 0:58:34So, it's a handmade railway line.